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While my first reaction is that this is a Duh Study, the more I think about it, the more important a study like this may really be. Nurses know how to give good nursing care. They also know they are extremely limited in giving quality care by the number of patients they have on any given shift and how much care ...

As a parent I let my expectation be known to my child and they can work within those expectations when making decisions on her behavior (note: it does not always work with a four year old, but it’s never to soon to get her learning). As an ED nurse dealing with a large amount of psych and intoxicated patients, I let ...

Frustrated by unemployment, nurses? Job hunting is tricky business. Getting hired as a nurse is a subtle mix of the right qualifications, enough experience, interview chemistry, and a dash of luck. Assuming you're making all the right moves and avoiding the really obvious job seeker mistakes, there are a few points to consider that could be your ticket out of unemployment. ...

Salary, earnings, wages, compensation — however you put it, the money we’re paid in return for our work is important to us. We expect two people working in the same place — having the same amount of experience and the same educational background, and doing the same work — would be paid the same salary. After all, it’s only fair, right? ...

Okay, so you hate being a nurse. You're sick and tired of making rounds day after day just to rot away in your scrubs uniform. Your measly paycheck just isn’t worth the daily drudgery and never-ending grind. It’s called a job for a reason, but remember, it could always be worse — the grass isn't always greener on the other side. ...

We all have dreams and goals for our personal life and career. Whether you are a brand new nurse straight out of school or a seasoned nurse looking toward your future, we all need a little bit of help and guidance. That is why a mentor is so important. Not only to help you as a nurse just managing like I ...

Everything was going so well. Your firm handshake and professional demeanor got you a warm smile from the head nurse. The interview started off with some small talk that turned into some skillfully answered questions. You can just about see what your average shift is going to look like. Then, just like that, the nursing interview takes a turn for the ...

I have heard that it takes only thirty seconds for the average person to decide if they like someone they just met. If we are picking out friends, great, no need to waste time on somebody you don’t like right from the start. But in the workplace, that first impression is key in setting the stage for developing a professional relationship ...

I have this problem with our health care profession. Wait, let me re-phrase that. I have this problem with some health care professionals. (Beware of impending rant to follow) We should practice what we preach. Or better yet, we should practice what we teach. Patient education is a corner stone of the health care profession. No matter what your medical specialty ...

If you’ve been in the nursing game long enough, the same lame questions will manage to show up in interview after interview. Where do you see yourself in five years? What's your greatest weakness? You know, the small-talk questions that fill up the time between the really important questions. But all those seemingly meaningless questions actually have a purpose — ...

Who doesn't think about getting that promotion? We all want to be our own boss someday, but before we can rule the hive, we have to tough it out as a lowly worker bee. These days, moving up is less like climbing a ladder and more like picking your way through a maze. There are many ways you can move your ...

I think we all can appreciate the argument. Nurses feel overwhelmed when the nurse-to-patient ratio is extended beyond our means. Not only beyond our means, but also when it borders on compromising patient safety. That has always been the source of our angst and distress. Having one nurse care for additional patients in a single assignment becomes cumbersome and borders on ...

1. Know your hospital. I was reviewing a resume that HR sent me and the cover letter was addressed correctly “To Whom It May Concern” but then the applicant said that they wanted to work at “ABC Hospital” but she had sent the resume and cover letter to “DEF Hospital.” So if you are sending out multiple resumes, make sure you ...

In the health care setting, life-or-death situations can spell high-flying emotions — not just from patients, but from team members and your nurse manager. This guide to body language will help you “read” what a person may not necessarily be telling you. For example, want to know the secrets that your manager’s body language may be telling you? The nonverbal cues ...

If you've ever worked in a medical environment, you've probably dealt with some breed of bad boss. Micromanagers, control freaks, and selfish tyrants lurk at all levels of organizations, their destructive powers wreaking havoc in the workplace. In fact, employee-employer relations are major stressors for even the savviest nurses. According to a Gallup poll, supervisor problems surpass most other areas of ...

It’s hard enough to come up with the right words to sell yourself in a resume or cover letter, without the English language tripping you up. One little mistake in spelling or grammar can ruin an entire resume or cover letter. It’s not easy to remember all the rules of the English language. So here’s a little cheat-sheet to help you ...

Have you ever found yourself: - Feeling overwhelmed with challenging patients? - Struggling to manage the emotions that arise from patient deaths? - Constantly asked to do more, get patients discharged more quickly and respond to the demands of doctors, family members and supervisors? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone. Many nurses find themselves feeling ...

Last week I spent four days at Disney World with my family. It was amazing see the magic of it all though my four year old’s eyes. One of the biggest things I was amazed by was how friendly everybody was. And their friendliness made even waiting for over an hour for a three minute ride tolerable. I saw people yelling ...

We’ve all been there — you’re sitting at your desk or laying in bed actively imagining the infinite ways you could tell your lunatic boss “I quit!” Throwing him your resignation, haphazardly stuffing a box full of your most precious desk knick-knacks, and high-fiving coworkers as you bound out of the office, never to return again. Dream all you want, ...

Losing a job is never in any nurse’s career plan. Take solace in knowing that there is a right way and a wrong way to handle unemployment and landing your next nursing job. Before the panic sets in, be sure to read through these seven deadly sins of job hunting and avoid them like the plague! 1. “Wallowing in the mire!” ...